


Sad Birthday Cupcake

by Reis_Asher



Series: Escalation [5]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Presents, Bondage, Crying, Developing Relationship, Light Angst, Light BDSM, Light Bondage, M/M, Praise Kink, Sulking, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 15:20:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16221827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reis_Asher/pseuds/Reis_Asher
Summary: Gavin thinks Nines is ignoring his birthday and goes into a sulk, feeling rejected.He's completely unaware that Nines has a birthday gift for him that he never knew he wanted.





	Sad Birthday Cupcake

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write something for Gavin's birthday and Casual Diplomacy is not co-operating, so enjoy this next part of Escalation instead!
> 
> This one's more about the feels than the sex, but I hope you enjoy it regardless!

Gavin sat down at his desk as Nines hovered above him. A small, white bakery box sat in front of his monitor, and Gavin opened it with a smirk on his face. A single cupcake sat inside, along with a green striped birthday cake candle. He planted the thin candle on the cake and reached into his jacket pocket for matches, lighting the candle. A weak, flickering flame took hold, melting the wax quickly as it burned down the wick. It would last just long enough to show the office that someone cared about his birthday.

"Who bought you the cake?" Nines asked. "My scan shows that it was placed here late last night, and is beginning to grow stale. You shouldn't eat that, Detective."

"You mean you didn't place it here?" Gavin tried to appear surprised. "Must have been Tina, then. I know it wasn't Hank or Connor."

Actually, he knew exactly who it had been. He did the same thing every single year. Gavin put his own cupcake on his desk the night before his birthday, so he didn't have to endure the humiliation of not receiving a single 'happy birthday' from anyone else at the department. He usually feigned surprise and pretended someone had bought it for him, though Chris and Tina vehemently denied it by the third year.

Gavin knew he'd brought a lot of things on himself—there wasn't a single person in the bullpen he hadn't wronged at some point. As friendly as Chris and Tina tried to be, even they seemed tired of his bullshit. He'd tried being nice, but he'd hurt so many people at this point that they were only suspicious of his motivations, now. After his last failed attempt, he'd retreated back behind his armor and accepted the fact that aggressively jockeying for a promotion had cost him the opportunity to be friends with anyone at the DPD.

Gavin blew out the candle, feeling more pathetic than usual. He'd hoped that Nines had bought him a gift, some kind of useless token to acknowledge the fact that they were fucking on the regular, but Nines hadn't even opened his mouth to wish him a good birthday. He told himself that androids probably didn't give a fuck about birthdays, but that didn't eliminate the sting. He grabbed the cupcake and tossed it in the trash, box and all, not even caring if the candle reignited and set the trash can on fire at this point. He stood up, grabbing his phone and making tracks towards the exit.

"Where are you going?" Nines asked.

"To the range. Unlike you plastic pricks, I don't fire the perfect shot every time." Gavin practically ran for the elevator, despising the fact that he was fleeing from Nines. He'd thought after the alley incident that they'd become closer, but clearly that wasn't the case. Nines was just another casual fuck, a friend with benefits—hell, maybe he wasn't even a friend. What kind of friend ignored someone's birthday even after a reminder?

Gavin hoped Nines would follow him to the range, but seven sets of targets later with no interruption and his right shoulder hurt enough to force him to stop. He thought about leaving for the day when Nines emerged from the elevator, looking vaguely pleased with himself. Gavin hated the dumb hope that flared inside him at seeing that face. Perhaps this would be Nines' latest prank—he'd take Gavin upstairs after moping all day and there'd be a surprise party in his honor. Or perhaps they'd ditch the DPD and go back to Gavin's place, where Nines would fuck him senseless and make him forget every miserable thought he'd had that day.

None of that happened, and Gavin's mood only soured further when he heard Nines' next words.

"We have a case," Nines explained. "Fifty-four year old Caucasian male found murdered in his apartment in the Ravendale district."

"Great. Just what I need on my birthday. A fucking dead body." Gavin sighed. He needed to abandon this pointless endeavor of expecting a special day once per year. The androids didn't give a fuck about their activation dates, Hank actively despised anybody even mentioning his birthday, and the rest of his colleagues were ambivalent at best about the day they were born. He just set himself up for disappointment every single year, but especially this year.

He'd even settle for Nines handcuffing him to his office chair at this point. Just something to show the android actually gave a damn if he lived or died. He'd put his heart out there on his sleeve in the alleyway, and all he'd got back for it was some amazing sex and the resumption of life as normal. They were partners, but they weren't _partners_. They weren't ever going to be more than fuckbuddies, and he had to make himself content with that.

Gavin wasn't content with that at all.

***

It had started to rain by the time Gavin's self-driving sports car pulled up outside the apartment building. A cordon had already been set up, and Gavin crossed it, looking around for someone to brief him on the situation. The scene was surprisingly sparse, but it wasn't unusual for Gavin to be one of the first people on the scene. Chris emerged from the dilapidated apartment building and made a beeline for Gavin, who was glad to see someone who might actually know what the fuck they were doing.

"Phew, it stinks in there," Chris commented, waving his hand in front of his nose. "Our corpse has been there at least four weeks. There's some solid decomposition going on, and I think the rats have been well-fed."

"Gross." Gavin wrinkled his nose in anticipation of the stench. Why did he have to deal with this shit on today of all days? Maybe he should make the damn plastic go instead, as punishment for forgetting about his birthday. Though, forgetting wasn't the right word, was it? Androids didn't forget. Nines had Gavin's entire DPD profile loaded into his database. He'd chosen not to give a fuck.

"Coming, Gavin?" Nines shot him a curious glance as he dallied by the exit, contemplating whether he should just leave the scene and let Nines deal with the unpleasant bullshit. Still, it would be a pain in the ass trying to piece together the evidence without laying eyes on it himself. Not that Nines would be sloppy; androids were never that, but there was nothing quite like combing through a crime scene with his own hands and making the kind of connections in his mind using a sharpened intuition that androids could only dream of possessing.

Maybe he wasn't going to get a gift from Nines today, but he might at least get a little praise for a job well done, a gentle boost to his flagging ego that he could use right about now. Spurred on by that thought, he climbed the narrow staircase to the second floor of the apartment building. It was dark, and the bare floorboards creaked underfoot as he headed towards the softly lit room where the victim lay. He was surprised he couldn't smell the body yet; usually death had a stench that carried through floorboards and overcame the scents of damp and mold that filled his senses now.

Gavin stepped into the room. It was empty, save for a few lit candles, a bed cast in shadow, and a lot of bondage equipment. Oh, so it was one of _those_ murders. Gavin stepped over to the bed, expecting a body beneath the sheets, when the door slammed shut behind him and he heard a key turn in the lock. He spun around to see Nines smile a thin, threatening smirk before pressing a hand into his back and walking him to the window, where Nines pulled a net curtain aside to reveal the DPD squad cars leaving.

Gavin glanced around. "Where's the body? What's going on?"

"You're not that dense, Gavin. Clearly there is no body. This is not a crime scene." Gavin turned and looked at the ropes, the candles, the handcuffs, the dildos and the whips, before turning back to Nines.

"This is—"

"Happy birthday, Gavin. I know you've been sulking about not hearing those words from me all day. I have to say, the cake trick was pathetic, even for you. When Hank warned me last week that you bought yourself your own birthday cake every year, I didn't believe him. It did give me an idea, though. Since you seem to love humiliating yourself so much, intentionally or otherwise, I thought you might appreciate this. This room is ours to use whenever we want, in whatever fashion we please." He opened his hand to reveal a key with a thin cord attached to it. He placed it over Gavin's head and the key sat as a cold weight against his chest, a promise and a threat all at once. "If you ever unlock the door from the inside, it's over. Understood?"

Gavin nodded. He wanted nothing more than to be tied up and at Nines' mercy, to give Nines the kind of trust that would take their relationship to the next level. This was the birthday gift he'd wanted: a commitment from Nines to an ongoing relationship.

Nines leaned in and whispered into Gavin's ear. "I connected to your home computer when I came over and downloaded your entire porn history. I know what you think about when you're alone. Every filthy little human kink. For a man who claims to have hated androids for a long time, you have an extensive library of android porn dating back several years. You seem especially fond of androids dominating humans."

Heat rose to Gavin's cheeks, but he couldn't deny the fact that he was hard as hell just contemplating the uses of this room. He couldn't believe that Nines wanted this, and found himself waiting for the other shoe to drop. Instead, Nines' erection pressed into his leg and Nines claimed his lips, forcing his tongue into Gavin's mouth.

It made sense that an android fucked up enough to put vanilla flavored semen into his coffee and a quarter in his ass would be up for this, but Gavin had never had the courage to ask. He'd feared the android's rejection, if he was being completely honest with himself. On his end, their casual fucks were definitely turning into something more, but he hadn't been sure until now that Nines felt the same way.

Casual fucks generally didn't stock a dungeon with long term use in mind.

Nines pulled away and pressed down on Gavin's shoulders, guiding him down to his knees. He produced a length of rope and bound Gavin's wrists behind him. His dick strained in his jeans as he realized he was at a height with Nines' cock. He leaned forward and nuzzled his face against Nines' clothed dick, desperate to suck it and show his appreciation. His emotionally constipated ass would never manage to put together a sentence that sounded even remotely grateful. He spoke this language fluently, though, even if he'd never trusted anyone enough before Nines to let them do more than a little light bondage.

Nines had pushed the envelope at times, but he knew when to stop. Or did he? The incident in the alley had caused a panic attack, but then that's what safe words were for. They needed a safeword, but the last thing Gavin wanted to do right now was negotiate. He wanted Nines' dick in his mouth, but he wasn't going to beg for it.

Nines walked towards the door and Gavin realized with rising panic that he was leaving. "Wait, don't go!" Gavin's voice sounded pathetic, even to himself. "I'm so fuckin' hard. You're not leaving me with blue balls like this!"

"Then use the key," Nines said, his tone laced with disappointment. "You can still manage, even with your wrists bound. Or wait and see what happens. It's up to you." Nines closed the door, and Gavin heard a key turn in the lock.

Gavin wasn't good at waiting. Patience had never been his strong suit, but Nines was impossibly good at it. He thought he might get bored, knelt on the floor waiting for the android's return, but the anticipation of knowing Nines would come back and give him what he wanted kept his dick hard until it ached.

He didn't even think about using the key. Nines' words had sounded so final, his voice so disappointed, that Gavin didn't want to risk ending this thing before it even really started. So he waited.

And waited.

Gavin's mind started to tick in the silence. What if this was all a prank? What if this elaborate room was nothing more than a joke and Nines would return with an audience to laugh at the thought that he'd ever want this kind of relationship with Gavin? What if he left him here for days, bound, thirsty, and hungry, just another round in this escalating game of theirs to see if he would break and use the key?

He wasn't going to use the key. It hung around his neck like a leaden weight, resting over his heart. It wouldn't be easy to slip his restraints and unlock the door, but it was possible. The bonds around his wrists were loose, and Gavin doubted androids were capable of sloppy rope-work.

That's when it occurred to him. This was a game of trust, and Nines was testing him. He wasn't going to quit. This wasn't a joke. Nines was going to come back.

Gavin's knees hurt. He contemplated laying on his side on the floor, but remained still. Nines would be back soon. He had to come back. It was his birthday, for fuck's sake. Nines wasn't cruel enough to leave him here.

He'd been cruel enough to make Gavin think he was dead, though. He'd handcuffed him to a chair. Put semen in his coffee without consent. Stuffed a quarter in his ass. Almost gotten him thrown into jail for contempt because of a vibrating butt plug.

That was just the tip of the iceberg if he went forward with this. That was what Nines was trying to say. In this room and beyond, Gavin would be pushed to his limits.

_"If you ever unlock the door from the inside, it's over."_

Gavin didn't want it to be over. Nines was right; he liked the humiliation on some deeper level, even though he relished praise. He knew that made no sense and yet the conflict existed regardless. Here in this room, if he played his cards right, he could have both. Nines would root out his kinks, strip him bare and expose the truth beneath the swagger and the bullshit.

He stayed on his knees and waited for Nines to return.

***

A few of the candles had burned down to stumps; others had doused their own flames in the sea of wax that pooled around their wicks. Gavin casually wondered what it might be like to have Nines pour that hot wax over him.

He couldn't feel his legs, now, and the fearful notion that Nines wasn't returning tonight crept back in. He cleared his mind and focused on thoughts of Nines until there was nothing but trust. Nines was coming back. This wasn't a joke. This was something real.

The door opened and Gavin was so grateful to see Nines that tears welled in his eyes. He bit them back, afraid that to spill them would show not only weakness but a lack of faith on his part.

"You're still on your knees." Nines looked pleased. He walked over to Gavin and knelt in front of him, reaching behind to loosen the knots. The ropes fell away and Gavin collapsed into Nines' embrace, sobbing as the last of his resistance fell away at Nines' praise-filled tones. Nines held on tightly, rubbing circles on his back. "You did well," he whispered. "Gavin. You passed the test."

"I doubted you," Gavin whimpered. "I thought you weren't coming back."

"Yet you stayed on your knees and waited. If you'd truly abandoned trust in me, you would have slipped those shoddy knots and used the key." Gavin relished the feeling of Nines' fingers tangled in his hair, slowly realizing that he'd never let anyone see him like this, so broken down, so open, so vulnerable.

It had taken Nines so little to break him and he was so grateful for it. He'd never had a birthday like this, where someone had given him a gift he'd needed for so long without even knowing it. He wanted to give Nines something in return, but Nines held him in rock solid arms, refusing to move.

"Please, let me…" Gavin begged. He was exhausted to the core, mentally, physically, and emotionally drained, but he yearned to give Nines pleasure in any way he wanted.

"No." Nines' voice was soft, but firm. "Not tonight. I'm taking you home." Gavin slipped from Nines' embrace as Nines stood and offered his hands. Gavin felt the sudden urge to stand up of his own accord, but the pins and needles in his legs refused to allow it, and he accepted Nines' help to stand on his wobbly legs. Nines caught him as he fell, holding him upright until the blood flow returned to his legs and the excruciating tingles wore off. He leaned on Nines as they approached the door, and descended the stairs slowly by himself, gripping the old handrail and hoping it wouldn't give out on him. Nines locked the door and followed.

The night air hit Gavin's face, bringing him back to reality like he'd slipped into another world for a while. He reached back for his gun and found it still holstered at his hip. He'd come to this place a different man to the one he was leaving it as, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He got into his red sports car and activated the auto-drive, starting to feel almost normal again as the car pulled out into the street.

"I can't believe I didn't get fucked on my birthday," Gavin commented, feeling a little of his old swagger coming back now that his tears and snot had dried up.

"Are you disappointed?" Nines asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nah, I can't say I am," Gavin replied, a warm satisfaction filling the dry, barren land of his memories, overwriting the years of lonely birthdays spent with anonymous casual partners and his own right hand. He managed a smile, wondering how Nines knew him so well and grateful that he did.

He wouldn't be bringing his own sad birthday cupcake to work next year.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are valued and enjoyed!


End file.
